Food allergies increasing in US kids

Food allergies in American children seem to be on the rise, now affecting about 3 million kids, according to the first federal study of the problem. About 1 in 26 children had food allergies last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. That's up from 1 in 29 kids in 1997. The 18 percent increase is significant enough to be considered more than a statistical blip, said Amy Branum of the CDC, the study's lead author. Nobody knows for sure what's driving the increase. Children seem to be taking longer to outgrow milk and egg allergies than they did in decades past. Children with food allergies also were more likely to have asthma, eczema and respiratory problems than kids without food allergies, the CDC study found, confirming previous research. The study also found that the number of children hospitalized for food allergies was up. The number of hospital discharges jumped from about 2,600 a year in the late 1990s to more than 9,500 annually in recent years, the CDC results showed. Details from the federal study http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db10.htm.

Bonnie - of course this is no surprise to us. Food allergies, which cause strong, sometimes life-threatening reactions, have been on the rise for years. However, what is not mentioned in this report, and sooner or later will become a major issue, is food intolerance. Many more children, and adults for that matter, have food intolerances, which are toxic reactions to food that create more minor, yet chronic symptoms that can accumulate and cause a slew of health issues.

I love how these federal officials cannot explain the rise in food allergies. It is so simple. As our diet has become more Western, homogenized, and cash crop-laden, food allergies have increased. As long as our diet is dominated by dairy, wheat, soy, and corn, the number of Americans with food allergies and intolerances will continue to rise.